The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-03-27
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
AS THE RENOWNED SARA BERN
HARDT SEES.
The Difference Between the French
aud American Men-She Pre-.
fers the Latter.

TELL me what you think of thil
country and my countrymen p
asked New York reporter OF Sarah
Bsrnhardt.
"Of course one can't give accurate
impressions Of q great people or re.
sumo with superficial resemblance the
evidence upon which an opinion il
based. OF your men and women
can safely say this: Your women aIe
Infinitely more interesting than your
men. They dress in admirable taste.
Their manners are refined their con
duct gay, without being light. In he
theater they are always admirable,
while your men are sometimes not all
that could be wished. l won't cay
what many do, that your women have
al been abroad and initiate theFrench
fer while they are more sprightly and
Vivacious than your men, they have
not the French kyerts. At the same
time don't wish you to understand
Mat French women 90 not possess all
the virtues the Anglo Saxons admire.
l mean simply that we are a gayer
people, and we exhibit our emotions
in q more volatile form. Manners, how.
ever, in this country, sht uld say were
prowsoire-temporafy-like your build
ings, your high W ays, your city mon
uments, your attempts at ornament.
For example, what people in the
world, at all educated in art, would
ever have permitted such a monstros-
ity as Barthold's statue, at the gates
OF the city? 1t is horror, without
redeeming point, not even the idea.
blush when think that a French.
man could have so misled you. But
that will pass. New York will r;alize
some time that it is solecism, ard
pack 1t away out of eight. Everything
is in O hurry with you. The abom-
Unable overhead roads, the uns Chilly
horse cars, the hideous telegraph poles
and masses of wire, the unsightly
signs, the ignob,e faeades of your
great thoroughfsres. These will all,
in course of time, appear to Americans
as they are, and then they will be
abolished.
"Bu. it is such new country. Your
hunyiug men and impatient audi
ences have the air of saying every in
slant, Rush, rush; tine 10 money
By and by you will di.covsr that
time is better than monsy, ana beauty
more permanent than confusion.
In spits Of all have said of your men
Town that admire theln in m sny
things. l admire their sincerity, l
admire their directness, 1 delight in
their treatment of women. You have
lived in Ffanca2 You never saw a
man in an omnibus train or public
conveyance OF any sort whatsoever,
give up his place to a woman2 have
remarked that in this country men
show sor. of rugged chivalry to the
weaker sex in every relation OF life
that should like very much indeed to
see initiated by my brethren at home.
| see men walking with women here,
carrying light pgcisges.
"Why, in France man would coa-
slider himself ridiculous if he even
carried box OF bonbons for his wife
or sweetheart. Then nothing could
be more delightful than the mat.
ter Of fact way in which this is done-
in which a thousand little aids and
kindnesses are done. A Frenchman
will make bow OF profound consider |
alton, but he will let the women open |
the door, bring forward her own chair
or do any of the troublesome things
that come hard to our tex. / adore
my country, and l know the good |
qualities Of Frenchmsn, but do own
that they have inherited certain insin-
cerities OF conduct and spesch that
lessen their character with strangers,
who do not raalizs that in the crisis of
home and national life they are manly
men-courageous, constant, intrepid
admirable.
But they are all emotionl Look at
Ffenchmsn with woman. His man
ners are polished to gilt .er; he bows
like an automston; his gestures are
perfect; he makes all other rates seem
gauche-clumsy peasants. Suppose him
alone with a woman for q moment,
though he may havs Just met her.
He is on his knees in an instant; he
seizss ones hands; he protests that he
is helpless with the anguish of his pas
sion; he snslchss her hand; he tries
to embrace her; and this is all sham,
for woman can tell at glance wheth.
er she is really adored or not. But he
believes himself at the moment, aud
belief is the twin of fact" Al, ca me
fat honetEP Nine. Sara exclaimed,
with al adorable gesture of half shud-
dering repulsion. With my country
men a woman is a creature to make
love TO; with you cold blooded Saxons
woman is creature to be respected,
cherished, honored, loved. 1t seems
slight ;sbut the difference is as distinct
as between to drink to be drunk
"Whst different scene with an
Englishman or American-really you
are tbs same you know-though you
don't like to be told it," she added
maliciously, "these take one seriously
Il doubt if you know what my robe
is; how it is msde-whether there is
a fortune in lace, or what not"
COIL know that, Madame Bern
hardt-for example, can tell you
that your robe at this moment Is a
dream; that you could pose for By
ron's Haidee without change of
texture; that the delicate tracery run
ming down your gown is real gold
filigree-that the fabric is soft as CHINA
crepe and rare as the curtain OF an
Indian temple"
"Bravo-you have eyes at least, mon
ami-but woman wouldn't get much
idea OF this gown from rhapsody
like that"
"If should say that your hair-a
mingling of autumn leaves and rob-
ms breast, was tumbled upon your
head like the down OF rosy thistles-
that your robes hung from your square
shoulders to your feet like the dolma
OF Roman priestess, and girdled at
the waist by q broad band OF fretted
gold, worked upon Paphian wool, that
neither hoop nor corset, band nor
hustle constrained the sinuous lines of
don't you think the
reader would catch a vision Of what
you really are7"
"Never. That's exactly the way
you men write; you don't know
camel's hair from common corduroy
L |